Concerns raised over plan to spray herbicides on Orange Lake

Published: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 at 6:14 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 at 6:14 p.m.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is ready to spray herbicides on Orange Lake to rid it of naturally occurring floating plant mats called tussocks, but local residents and environmental activists are raising concerns that spraying will harm the lake's vegetation, wildlife and, potentially, the local drinking water.

The FWC earlier this month held a meeting to discuss the overgrowth of tussocks in the lake, which it says is dangerous to boaters and fishermen who get trapped in the water by the floating plants.

“If the wind shifts, the tussocks could leave fishermen stranded on the lake. That's happened where they need to be rescued,” said Ryan Hamm, an invasive plant management biologist with the FWC.

Hamm added that an abundance of tussocks also eliminates the lake's plant diversity.

The least expensive and most manageable option, the FWC says, is spraying the lake with a combination of herbicides called glyphosate, the most common chemical applied to plants, and imazamox, a newer product that targets specific plants -- in this case one called frog's bit.

Hamm added that neither herbicide harms fish, wildlife or humans because they both target amino acids that are specific to the plants mired in the tussocks.

But Deborah Segal, an environmental scientist and board member of the Alachua Audubon Society, said she and others have a lot of concerns about the proposed spraying, which if approved, could happen in the next few weeks, or before the first freeze.

“We are opposed to it because they propose (spraying) over two square miles of native wetland plants, and we are opposed to that because those wetland plants provide a very important and valuable habitat for quite a lot of wildlife species,” Segal said, mentioning the sandhill cranes, purple gallinules and American bittern among those species whose habitat would be destroyed.

In addition, Segal said that several other species such as salamanders and frogs, and bees and butterflies that pollinate the plants would be affected.

Segal said that of particular concern are the lake's islands, where wading birds roost and nest. But Hamm said those areas are in a buffer area where the FWC will not spray.

Segal said an alternative solution to destroying the tussocks is widening and deepening the boat ramp and putting up signs warning people that windy conditions might put them at risk of getting stuck.

“They don't need to get rid of all the vegetation. Over a century ago, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings talks about floating tussocks as a natural process, and I don't think we should be trying to change that on such a large scale,” Segal said.

“The plants would come back in a couple of years. They are getting very short-term benefits with a lot of damage that's occurring for a small user group.”

Bob Knight of the Florida Springs Institute said he is also concerned about potentially excessive levels of nitrogen released into the water from the dead plants.

“It's an enormous amount of nitrogen in a lake that's already polluted with nitrogen and phosphorus,” Knight said, adding that the lake, through its several sinkholes, has a strong connection to the aquifer, which in turn is connected to the springs.

“Any nitrogen increase will affect the nitrogen in Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs,” Knight said, adding that some of that will end up in drinking water. “People don't want to be drinking herbicides and pesticides. The southwest end of Orange Lake is already drinking this water.”

Hamm said the plants targeted by the herbicide would metabolize most of it, leaving only an incidental amount in the water.

For Richard Basile, who owns an RV park on the lake, however, that's not enough reassurance that his drinking water is safe. Hes already has bought a filter and criticizes the spraying as a “temporary fix” to a recurrent issue that, as Rawlings pointed out, is part of a natural process.

Even Hamm concedes that “we aren't going to eliminate tussocks in Orange Lake.”

“We are targeting main areas in the lake that don't typically have tussocks in them,” he said.

Hamm, who sent a letter to stakeholders asking for input before making a final decision, invites all interested citizens to contact him with their concerns, questions and comments by Friday at Ryan.Hamm@MyFWC.com.

<p>The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is ready to spray herbicides on Orange Lake to rid it of naturally occurring floating plant mats called tussocks, but local residents and environmental activists are raising concerns that spraying will harm the lake's vegetation, wildlife and, potentially, the local drinking water.</p><p>The FWC earlier this month held a meeting to discuss the overgrowth of tussocks in the lake, which it says is dangerous to boaters and fishermen who get trapped in the water by the floating plants.</p><p>“If the wind shifts, the tussocks could leave fishermen stranded on the lake. That's happened where they need to be rescued,” said Ryan Hamm, an invasive plant management biologist with the FWC.</p><p>Hamm added that an abundance of tussocks also eliminates the lake's plant diversity.</p><p>The least expensive and most manageable option, the FWC says, is spraying the lake with a combination of herbicides called glyphosate, the most common chemical applied to plants, and imazamox, a newer product that targets specific plants -- in this case one called frog's bit.</p><p>Hamm added that neither herbicide harms fish, wildlife or humans because they both target amino acids that are specific to the plants mired in the tussocks.</p><p>But Deborah Segal, an environmental scientist and board member of the Alachua Audubon Society, said she and others have a lot of concerns about the proposed spraying, which if approved, could happen in the next few weeks, or before the first freeze.</p><p>“We are opposed to it because they propose (spraying) over two square miles of native wetland plants, and we are opposed to that because those wetland plants provide a very important and valuable habitat for quite a lot of wildlife species,” Segal said, mentioning the sandhill cranes, purple gallinules and American bittern among those species whose habitat would be destroyed.</p><p>In addition, Segal said that several other species such as salamanders and frogs, and bees and butterflies that pollinate the plants would be affected.</p><p>Segal said that of particular concern are the lake's islands, where wading birds roost and nest. But Hamm said those areas are in a buffer area where the FWC will not spray.</p><p>Segal said an alternative solution to destroying the tussocks is widening and deepening the boat ramp and putting up signs warning people that windy conditions might put them at risk of getting stuck.</p><p>“They don't need to get rid of all the vegetation. Over a century ago, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings talks about floating tussocks as a natural process, and I don't think we should be trying to change that on such a large scale,” Segal said.</p><p>“The plants would come back in a couple of years. They are getting very short-term benefits with a lot of damage that's occurring for a small user group.”</p><p>Bob Knight of the Florida Springs Institute said he is also concerned about potentially excessive levels of nitrogen released into the water from the dead plants.</p><p>“It's an enormous amount of nitrogen in a lake that's already polluted with nitrogen and phosphorus,” Knight said, adding that the lake, through its several sinkholes, has a strong connection to the aquifer, which in turn is connected to the springs.</p><p>“Any nitrogen increase will affect the nitrogen in Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs,” Knight said, adding that some of that will end up in drinking water. “People don't want to be drinking herbicides and pesticides. The southwest end of Orange Lake is already drinking this water.”</p><p>Hamm said the plants targeted by the herbicide would metabolize most of it, leaving only an incidental amount in the water.</p><p>For Richard Basile, who owns an RV park on the lake, however, that's not enough reassurance that his drinking water is safe. Hes already has bought a filter and criticizes the spraying as a “temporary fix” to a recurrent issue that, as Rawlings pointed out, is part of a natural process.</p><p>Even Hamm concedes that “we aren't going to eliminate tussocks in Orange Lake.”</p><p>“We are targeting main areas in the lake that don't typically have tussocks in them,” he said.</p><p>Hamm, who sent a letter to stakeholders asking for input before making a final decision, invites all interested citizens to contact him with their concerns, questions and comments by Friday at Ryan.Hamm@MyFWC.com.</p><p><i>Contact Kristine Crane at 338-3119, or kristine.crane@gvillesun.com.</i></p>